


Touched

by eerian_sadow



Series: Avalon [27]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers Generation One
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Love, Multi, spark bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-11-01
Updated: 2009-11-01
Packaged: 2018-09-17 20:23:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9341750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eerian_sadow/pseuds/eerian_sadow
Summary: They're all ready to go home, until Rodimus Prime ruins their plans. Now Trailbreaker has doubts.





	

**Author's Note:**

> i've been working on this off and on since Botcon back in May (of 2009). it was fussy and fought with me a bit, but i'm mostly pleased with what's here. as usual, this is not betaed, so feel free to point out errors or inconsistencies.

When Jazz asked for them—all three of them, by name—to join the team at Reconstruction Station, it had been an easy decision to make. Mirage—homesick as ever—had been eager to get back to Cybertron. Hound had been eager to be proactive— _finally_ —in rebuilding the world they had so merrily torn apart with the war. Trailbreaker was eager to get out and start helping mechs and femmes rebuild their lives. They were all ready, willing and able to go.

None of them had counted on Rodimus denying Trailbreaker’s transfer.

“I’m sorry,” the Prime told them gently when they lodged their protest. “But I can’t let all of you go right now. I’m not even going to try and keep one of Jazz’s ops guys, but I _need_ mechs who have experience with Earth combat situations. There aren’t that many of you left.”

Hound, Mirage and Trailbreaker exchanged a look.

“But why me?” Trailbreaker finally asked.

“There are a lot of sound tactical reasons to keep either you or Hound, and I really want you both. But Elita-1 and Jazz need all the help they can get, too.” They waited as Rodimus paused in his rambling narration. “I couldn’t decide so I…flipped a coin. Well, Daniel flipped the coin, but that was how we did it.”

“You…flipped a coin?” Trailbreaker couldn’t hide his confusion the idea. Mirage and Hound both had the audacity to start laughing. Rodimus looked a bit embarrassed. “Why didn’t you just ask one of us?”

“I thought you’d be angry.” The Prime looked down at his desk; Hound and Mirage’s mirth disappeared. For a moment the other three Autobots could see the unsure mech he had was hiding under the mask of strength carrying the Matrix forced him to show. “I think I’ve had enough of that since I became Prime.”

Since they could all think of a dozen things—immediately—that Rodimus had done to make the people he worked with angry since he became Prime, none of them argued.

“We know you’re doing your best,” Mirage said, reaching out and giving Prime’s hand a consoling—if awkward—squeeze. “It’s just been hard for some of us to accept that you aren’t Optimus.”

“Including you?”

The spy winced at Rodimus’ pointed question. “Yes, including me. I’m adjusting.”

“Will it help if I tell you that I’m not upset about your orders?” Trailbreaker asked. “I’d rather go to Reconstruction Station, but I’ll stay.”

Relief washed across Rodimus’ face.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Packing for Hound and Mirage to leave for Reconstruction Station was awkward at best. None of them seemed to know what was safe to say and what wasn’t. Trailbreaker spend a majority of the time silently holding one memento or another and looking completely spark broken.

Mirage couldn’t say that he felt any different.

“I didn’t think it was going to be this hard,” Hound said softly, giving voice to his lover’s thoughts. “I know what we said in Prime’s office, but…”

“I know,” Trailbreaker replied. “In my head, I know this is temporary and that I’ll see you again, but my spark is having trouble believing it.”

Mirage turned from the crate he was attempting to pack and gave the black mech a thoughtful look. “Why are you having so much trouble, Breaker? I know we’ll miss you terribly, but you look like you think we’re leaving you forever.”

The defense strategist stayed silent. After a long moment, he looked away from the spy and down to the floor.

“Primus, Trailbreaker!” Hound exclaimed, exasperation clear in his voice.

Mirage held up a hand to stall any further outburst. “That’s it, isn’t it? You’re afraid that after some time away from you, we won’t want you any more.”

Hesitantly, Trailbreaker nodded.

“Never,” Hound promised. “We love you.”

Mirage crossed the room and laid a hand on the strategist’s cheek plate. Trailbreaker looked up slightly, barely meeting the spy’s optics. “We love you,” Mirage repeated. “After everything we’ve been through, how can you still doubt us?”

The black mech looked away again. “Love fades with distance.”

Hound walked over to his lovers as Mirage wrapped his arms around Trailbreaker’s neck. He put his arms around both of them and held them tightly. “I don’t believe that.”

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Hound was in recharge when Trailbreaker finally, hesitantly, spoke. Mirage listened quietly as the black mech poured out his fears, rubbing a comforting hand over Breaker’s chest plates.

“My creators weren’t bonded. When I was young, I always knew they loved each other because I always heard them say it. I thought we had a perfect life until I was about nine meta-cycles old. That was when my carrier was called back into active duty with the security forces.” The strategist hugged his lover more tightly against his chest. “He was gone for almost four meta-cycles and when he finally came home, he and my progenitor could barely speak to each other. All the fire their relationship had before had just gone out. It wasn’t even a whole deca-cycle before he left again. Sometimes he wrote me letters, but I never saw my carrier again.”

“I cannot speak for your creators,” Mirage said softly, “But Hound and I are not the kind of mechs who would simply allow this relationship to fade away. We both love you far too much for that.”

“Primus, ‘Raj. I _want_ to believe that.” Trailbreaker’s voice hitched slightly.

The spy laid a finger gently across the black mech’s lip components. “Then believe. Hound and I will not abandon you here on Earth, alone and broken-sparked.”

“Never,” Hound agreed, voice rough from being forced out of recharge, from Trailbreaker’s other side. “Want to be with you forever.”

Trailbreaker shuddered with some suppressed emotion. “Promise me.”

“I promise,” The scout said, sounding more alert. “Forever.”

Mirage untangled himself from Trailbreaker’s limbs and stood up, fully aware of how hurt both other mechs looked. He moved to the desk they shared and picked up a small box.

“In the Towers, it was traditional to give one’s promised a gift. A token to be worn, showing that you were prepared to spend eternity with that mech.” The blue and white mech moved back across the room and crouched down next to the berth. “I had wanted to wait until we were on Cybertron, but it seems that the matter has been taken out of my hands.”

Hound and Trailbreaker watched as Mirage opened the box to reveal a pair of sparkling crystal Autobrands. “I would take you--both of you--as my bonded, if you will have me.”

The scout was beaming, but the strategist looked stunned. For a moment, the spy thought he had made the wrong move in proposing bonding. Then Trailbreaker took the box from him with shaking hands and pulled Mirage into a tight embrace. A moment later, Hound wound himself around them as well.

“Yes,” Trailbreaker said softly. “Yes, I’ll have you.”

They were all silent for a while after that, letting Trailbreaker take comfort--finally--in their presence. Then Hound spoke up, almost timidly.

“I know it isn’t formal, but… Can we do it tonight? Before we leave for Cybertron?”

Mirage nodded slowly. “I think the ceremony can come later. I think we need this, if you’re willing, Breaker.”

“Yes.”

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

When they came back online, hours before their shuttle was scheduled to depart, Mirage carefully adhered the crystal Autobrands to his bondmates. Sunstreaker had crafted them perfectly--they laid precisely over the bright red emblem that represented their faction, allowing the color to show through and still sparkle in the light. Trailbreaker had found a third shaped crystal tucked in the bottom of the box and carefully applied it to Mirage’s chassis as well. The third piece hadn’t been traditional--he, as the proposer, was not supposed to have a token--but Mirage found that he liked the idea of all three of them matching; he would have to remember to thank the artist the next time they met.

“I feel silly now,” Trailbreaker said when they were finished. “I was so afraid that you would fall out of love with me, but now I _know_ how strongly you feel for me. You really wouldn’t have just left me.”

“Never,” Mirage agreed with a smile.

“You had cause for your fear, though,” Hound added. “What happened to your creators was terrible.”

The strategist nodded. “I’ve spent my whole life wishing it had gone differently.”

The spy reached out and pulled Trailbreaker into a hug. “It will not happen to us. And no sparklings that we might have will be so abandoned either.”

“Thank you,” the black mech whispered.  



End file.
